Duet in Crimson

Duet in Crimson by Patricia Rosemoor brings us 2 fast paced romantic adventures.

In Holiday in Crimson, when Shelby passes out in the office at the staff Christmas party, wakes up and stumbles across a dead body, she panics and runs.  The dead man is her boss...and one who she didn't always get along with.  Terrified she will be accused of his murder, Shelby says nothing.  Not even to Rand, her bosses brother in law. 

Rand and his brother in law both run Westbrooks department store...and with the brother in law out of the way, it all falls to Rand and his sister Pippa.  Soon, with no other suspects and the police digging deeper, Rand, Pippa and Shelby are all suspects.  Rand initially wants to get closer to Shelby because he's sure she knows more than she's saying...but soon he finds himself very attracted to her.  The feeling is mutual and soon they are sizzling things up with a romantic involvement.  Rand starts to believe in Shelby's innocence, despite whatever she's hiding, but Shelby is becoming more and more suspicious of everyone, including Rand.  

As the hunt for a killer becomes more dangerous and more personal, they will both have to decide who they can trust...and if it's each other will they survive to have a future together?

I really liked Shelby and Rand...both are very strong characters that don't always do the right thing in a panic!  This makes both of them people you can relate to...they're not perfect but they're trying to do the right thing.  Patricia kept me engrossed and guessing right up to then end!

Holiday in Crimson is a fast paced romantic suspense that will give you that holiday feel along with the adrenaline rush of the suspense.

In Nightmare in Crimson, Pippa has begun to recover from her husband's death last Christmas.  She is working at Westbrooks learning a bit about all the different departments, and is working hard at it.  Just as the holiday season starts again though, there is another dead body dressed up as Santa...and Pippa is a suspect again.  But Pippa is not the only suspect...Sky, who was driving the sleigh pulled by 8 tiny reindeer that trampled "Santa", is also suspect.

Suddenly he is everywhere Pippa is, and he knows things she's not sure how he knows.  Is he as innocent as he claims?  Or is there a lot going on Pippa doesn't know about?

When things between Sky and Pippa heat up, secrets are bound to come out.  With a murderer still on the loose, Pippa will need to decide if she can still trust Sky, if he's the man she thought he was.  And Sky will do anything to keep Pippa safe...if they can stay a step ahead of a murderer.

Patricia really had me guessing with Nightmare in Crimson...especially about Sky and his motives!  Nightmare in Crismons is a real page turner that will keep you up late to find it all out!

I really liked having these two stories together...they are separate but link together so well and I really enjoyed seeing the character growth of Pippa, from a new widow of a man who didn't treat her right to a strong, independent business woman on the brink of a new love.  I also really enjoyed learning about Sky and discovering his secrets!

I'd highly recommend Duet in Crimson to any romantic suspense reader looking for just that with a holiday flair!

5/5 stars!